Resentment is brewing up among the grassroots leaders of the ruling Awami League centring the Upazila Parishad polls, resulting in violent activities in a number of upazilas.
Such a situation is prevailing in most of the upazilas as the offspring and kin of the lawmakers, ministers and influential leaders of the ruling party are participating in the upazila polls, defying the directives issued by top brass of the Awami League.
The question that agitates the mind of the grassroots is if the offspring and kin of lawmakers and ministers as well as influential leaders want to be elected in every tier of local government bodies what will be their position.
“If such trend continues, it will really be tough for us to do politics,” said a contestant of Mymensingh division.
The sorry state is portrayed by a threatening statement of an aspirant of Dimla Upazila on Thursday.
Four aspirants are vying for the post of chairman in Dimla Upazila Parishad election. Two of them are
taken to be strong candidates as both of them are backed by the local lawmaker. Of the two aspirants, one is Anwarul Haque Sarker, a cousin of local MP Aftabuddin Sarker and AL upazila unit general secretary and another is Ferdous Parvez, a nephew of the lawmaker and joint convener of Juba League upazila unit. While addressing an election rally on Thursday, Ferdous said, “If the victory for me is not ensured in a normal way, force will be applied. The blessing of the MP is with me (Sic).”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party on Thursday asked the MPs and ministers not to meddle in the upazila polls.
“Those who have disobeyed the party decisions and fielded their offspring and kin in the upazila parishad polls would have to stay with their families in future,” she told the meeting.
Despite AL president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directive, many offspring and kin of ministers and MPs are taking part in the upazila elections.
Even brother and nephew of AL general secretary Obaidul Quader have filed nominations for contesting the third phase of UZ polls.
As the first phase of the UZ polls is drawing nearer, the incidents of violence are taking place in different upazilas.
A clash took place between the supporters of two UZ chairman aspirants and police at Sujanagar in Pabna on Thursday, leaving at least 10 injured. Of the injured, two were bullet-hit.
At least four people were injured in another clash that occurred at Batazor in Gournadi upazila of Barishal district.
Fearing meddling of MPs and ministers, the Election Commission has already written a letter to the Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, seeking her directive to prevent the members of parliament from meddling in UZ polls.
Besides, several units of intelligence agencies fear violent activities in every phase of the UZ polls.
Placing their findings before the EC, the intelligence agencies said that they fear violent activities in 78 places in the first phase, 70 in the second phase and 40 in the third phase.
They urged the EC to take necessary measures to maintain law and order on the election days.
EC member Md Alamgir on Thursday told reporters that the EC sent a letter to the Parliament Secretariat for preventing ministers and MPs from influencing the upcoming sixth Upazila Parishad elections.
He said the letter urged the ministers and MPs not to influence the elections in any way. “Field-level officials have been instructed not to take into account if any political party leader, including ministers and MPs, creates any kind of pressure,” he said.
“All candidates should be treated equally. If any candidate does not go by the code of conduct or exerts illegal influence, the field administration has been directed to take action as per the law,” he added.
Kin of 10 MPs and ministers have submitted nominations for contesting the third phase of UZ polls. Of them, AL general secretary’s brother Shahadat Hossain filed the nomination for the post of chairman in Companiganj upazila while his nephew Mahbubur Rashid filed the nomination for the post of vice chairman.
Lawmaker AB Tajul Islam’s nephew Aminul Islam Tusher filed the nomination for the post of chairman in Bancharampur of Brahmanbaria, lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad’s brother Mamunur Rahid filed the nomination at Debiddar in Cumilla, MP Jahangir Alam Sarker’s son Ahsanul Alam at Muradnagar, MP Shaimum Sarwar Kamal’s elder brother Sohel Sarwar Kajal at Ramu, MP Shahin Akter’s brother Jahangir Kabir Chowdhury at Ukia.
In Sylhet division, agriculture minister Abdus Shaheed’s younger brother filed the nomination for Kamalganj upazila, former MP Moslem Uddin’s daughter Selima Begum and incumbent MP Abdul Malek Sarker’s son in-law Shah Md Alamgir Hossain at Fulbaria in Mymensingh.
